1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the recording of video, photo, and multi-media onto optical media, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for easily capturing and editing images and multi-media, and for authoring optical media containing video, photo, image, and other multi-media presentations.
2. Description of the Related Art
The convergence of photography, video, and motion picture industries with the computer industry is greatly expanding the photo, video, and other image options for the consumer. The use of optical media such as CD-R, DVD, and the like, is rapidly becoming a viable option for business as well as personal applications. By way of example of a business application, equipment manufacturers can record maintenance and service procedures, and then transfer the recorded procedures to optical media to ship with a tool to customers, or to ship to field technicians. Customer or support personnel can then simply play the optical media in a convenient computer system to observe and learn necessary procedures as correctly demonstrated. Personal applications include photo and video capture to create everything from photo albums to multi-media collections of movies, images, photos, and the like.
Although the possibilities for the use and application of video media seem limited only by the boundaries of the imagination, the technical expertise required to assemble, edit, and author DVD and other optical media containing collections and presentations of video, photographic, image, and multi-media data has kept the expansion of the market in check, and beyond the resource and skill of the average consumer.
Typical prior art video authoring programs tend to be limited in scope so that specialized functions are accomplished with different programs. By way of example, one program might be required to capture and edit video data, another program might be required to capture and edit photographic data, and another program required to collect the data in a presentation format. Further, some prior art programs offer only standard templates into which a user can insert video or photographic files with little or no option for personalization or modification. If a prior art program does provide for user modification, edit and display is typically restricted to one content file and one content file type at a time.
Prior art authoring software often presents technical barriers preventing wide general use and enjoyment. By way of example, structuring of the photo, video, or other image content is generally presented in abstract file and folder hierarchical format. The non-technical user has no visual representation of structure and format using actual photo, video, or other image content. The un-skilled user with little experience authoring DVD or VIDEO CD projects is provided no tools or visual reference to associate the abstract file and folder structure with the ultimate video, photo, or other image DVD. The difficulty of creating even the abstract structure that will be a presentation is compounded by requiring the user to navigate through a plurality of screens and functions that are generally arcane to the average consumer, and bear little or no resemblance to a DVD presentation that one can experience by simply inserting a disc into a DVD player connected to the home television set.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need for a method and apparatus and computer program for easily capturing and editing video, photographic, and other image data, and then authoring DVD, VIDEO CD, and Super Video CD presentations to be recorded to the optical media. The method, apparatus, and computer program should provide an average computer user an effective and intuitive interface to capture and edit video, photographic, and other image content from a plurality of sources, and to collect, structure, and arrange the selected content to author DVD, VIDEO CD, and Super Video CD presentations. The method, apparatus, and computer program should further provide the user with a visual, graphic workspace in which to arrange and create presentations and projects including a plurality of content and content formats that can be easily structured using common methods and commands familiar to the typical user.